Aleksa
A masculine diminutive form of the name Alexander, of Greek origin meaning "defender of men".
Name Census estimates that about 593 living Americans carry the first name Aleksa. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 89.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Aleksa today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aleksa births was 2009 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aleksa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Aleksa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
593
~ 1 in 578,001 Americans
Peak year
2009
39 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,468
Tracked since 1988
Census
Aleksa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 741 people with the first name Aleksa, which placed it at #15,497 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,497
National first-name rank
People counted
741
741 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aleksa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aleksa is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Aleksa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Aleksa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 516
- Hispanic or Latino22.5% · 167
- Two or more races3.0% · 22
- Black or African American2.3% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Aleksa
Aleksa leans heavily female at 89.7% of total registrations, but 62 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Aleksa as a male name
- Ranked #12,316 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2005 (8 births)
Aleksa as a female name
- Ranked #11,468 in 2018
- 8 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2007 (37 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Aleksa on both sides of the split. Of the 729 people counted with this name, 208 were male (28.5%) and 521 were female (71.5%).
Popularity
Aleksa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aleksa from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 300 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aleksa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aleksa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aleksas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Aleksa
The name Aleksa traces its origins to the Slavic languages, particularly in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe. It is a masculine given name derived from the Greek name "Alexandros," which means "defender of men" or "protector of men." This name has its roots in the ancient Greek culture and language, dating back to the classical era.
In the Slavic languages, the name Aleksa is a shortened version or diminutive form of the names Aleksandar or Aleksander. It has been in use for centuries in countries such as Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, among others. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval records and documents from these regions.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Aleksa was Aleksa Nenadović (1749-1804), a Serbian military commander and leader during the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire. He played a pivotal role in the struggle for Serbian independence and is remembered as a national hero.
Another prominent individual was Aleksa Šantić (1868-1924), a celebrated Bosnian Serb poet and writer. His works, infused with patriotism and love for his homeland, have left a lasting legacy in the literary tradition of the Balkans.
In the realm of sports, Aleksa Avramović (1925-1988) was a Serbian football player and manager. He represented Yugoslavia at the 1950 FIFA World Cup and later coached several prestigious clubs in his home country.
The name Aleksa also gained recognition through the life of Aleksa Dundić (1924-2013), a Serbian actor and theater director. He was a prominent figure in the cultural scene of Yugoslavia and received numerous awards for his contributions to the performing arts.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Aleksa Raković (1939-2017), a Serbian writer and journalist. He authored several novels, short stories, and travelogues, and was recognized for his unique literary style and insightful observations on contemporary society.
While the name Aleksa has its roots in the Slavic cultures of the Balkans, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among communities with Slavic heritage or influences. However, the earliest recorded instances and most significant historical figures associated with this name can be traced back to the Balkan region, where it has been a part of the cultural fabric for centuries.
People
Aleksa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aleksa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aleksa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aleksa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 593 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aleksa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 578,001 US residents.
Is Aleksa a common name?
We classify Aleksa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 602 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aleksa most popular?
The single biggest year for Aleksa was 2009, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aleksa is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Aleksa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 741 people with the name Aleksa, or 0.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,497 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Aleksa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Aleksa?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Aleksa on both sides of the split. Of the 729 people counted with this name, 208 were male (28.5%) and 521 were female (71.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Aleksa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aleksa is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Aleksa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Aleksa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (516 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aleksa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aleksa a female name?
Yes, 89.7% of people registered as Aleksa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aleksa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aleksa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aleksa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Aleksa as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Aleksa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.